Standing Strong…Why Church Structure Affects Church Growth

Structure is essential.

Like a body without bones or a building without supporting walls, an organization without a structure goes nowhere, fast.

Having said that, it’s important to understand that only healthy structure supports growth. Unhealthy structure holds organizations back from growing.

Todd Henry, author of Louder Than Words, says this,

The more structures we have to navigate in order to do our work, the more difficult it is to do our best work. When we are required to resolve the dissonance of complex systems, reporting relationships, and accountability structures just in order to get our objectives and check off our direction, we will begin to lose our drive to do brilliant work. Over time, this complexity only pulls entire organizations toward systematic mediocrity.

(Discovered via Tony Morgan’s short book, Stuck in a Funk?: How to Get Your Church Moving Forward)

The more complex an organization becomes, the more room there is for communication leaks. Information and instruction gets lost, tweaked, and twisted as it moves between all the different layers and channels.

This explains why government bureaucracies have such bad reputation. There are so many arbitrary rules and regulations, implemented at different times and for different reasons that it winds up being pretty tough to get a final decision from anyone.

In tech startups, however, a seemingly large business may consist of only a handful of remotely-working entrepreneurs. These organizations can often make decisions quickly and with agility.

One of the features of Saddleback Church that amazes me is the speed with which decisions and instructions can be carried out. The elders believe in passing decision-making authority down to the lowest possible level. With fewer layers of approval needed, leaders could make changes quickly.

I often thought of the Saddleback staff as a flock of birds. Pastor Rick Warren was out front, leading our v-formation. When his direction would suddenly shift, the church’s staff could quickly adjust and follow right along.

So, what does this look like for your local church? What does an unhealthy structure look like contrasted with a healthy structure?

Churches with unhealthy structures:

  • Have too many committees.
  • Vote on too many issues.
  • Lack simple, written parameters for decision-making.
  • Spread authority out randomly.
  • Move slowly to allow everyone’s turf to remain safe.

Churches with healthy structures, on the other hand:

  • Have high trust in their leaders.
  • Give responsibility to more leaders whenever possible.
  • Have few or no committees.
  • Don’t vote on almost any issues at all.
  • Are able to move and change more quickly.

Can an unhealthy structure be overcome? Possibly, but it takes a long time. There is usually a lot of foundational work that has to be done, especially in the trust-building department. People avoid change because of the fear of losing control, and fear is a very powerful emotion to try to overcome.

One of the issues I often coach leaders about is how to create a healthy, growth-oriented and life-giving culture that allows the structure to be changed.

An unhealthy structure doesn’t necessarily kill churches and organizations, but it can definitely keep them sick and weak.

Change the culture, and then address the structure. Sometimes an overhaul is the only sensible answer.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brandon Cox

Brandon Cox has been a Pastor for fifteen years and is currently planting a church in northwest Arkansas, a Saddleback-sponsored church. He also serves as Editor of Pastors.com and Rick Warren's Pastors' Toolbox, and authors a top 100 blog for church leaders (brandonacox.com). He's also the author of Rewired: Using Technology to Share God's Love.

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comment_post_ID); ?> Thank you for this information. I'm going to use this article to improve my work with the Lord.
 
— Abel Singbeh
 
comment_post_ID); ?> Thank you Ed for sharing your insights into the Church Growth Movement. I have my reservations with Church Growth models because it has done more damage than good in the Body of Christ. Over the years, western churches are more focused on results, formulas and processes with little or no emphasis on membership and church discipline. Pastors and vocational leaders are burnt out because they're overworked. I do believe that the Church Growth model is a catalyst to two destructive groups: The New Apostolic Reformation and the Emerging Church. Both groups overlap and have a very loose definition. They're both focus on contemporary worship, expansion of church brand (franchising), and mobilizing volunteering members as 'leaders' to grow their ministry. Little focus on biblical study, apologetics and genuine missional work with no agenda besides preaching of the gospel.
 
— Dave
 
comment_post_ID); ?> Thank you for sharing such a good article. It is a great lesson I learned from this article. I am one of the leaders in Emmanuel united church of Ethiopia (A denomination with more-than 780 local churches through out the country). I am preparing a presentation on succession planning for local church leaders. It will help me for preparation If you send me more resources and recommend me books to read on the topic. I hope we may collaborate in advancing leadership capacity of our church. God Bless You and Your Ministry.
 
— Argaw Alemu
 

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